Everything His Heart Desires
by doseofdream
Summary: Seventeen years after the break up, Gray and Juvia might have seen to move on with their life. In fact, not a single day passed without, thinking and hoping to see one another. However, their life was about to change drastically when Catherine, Juvia's seventeen years old daughter met Gray and fell in love with him (AU). (please read the a/n at the last chapter) FT isn't mine!
1. Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

Her eyes were like deep blue ocean. So breathtaking. So mesmerizing. Not a single day passed in the past seven-teen years that he did not think of her. Not a single day passed without hoping to see her. He knew he should have moved on long time ago. But the shyness in her eyes when she was smiling at him, and the lavender scent of her long, wavy hair made it harder for him to move on. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Even when she was at her worst, he still found her beauty irresistible. The thought of her alone squeezed him on the inside in the most wonderful way and soothed his troubled souls.

During the past seventeen years, he had met a lot of women. He dated a lot of beautiful woman, but none of them could make him forget Juvia.

Until one day when he met her.

He was bumping into a high school girl on his way to the office. His eyes widened at the sight of her. Her enchanting deep blue eyes and her short wavy hair reminded him of her. The only woman that he had ever loved. Did he just see Juvia or was he just dreaming? Because if it was just a dream, then he wouldn't want to wake up.

He found his voice caught in his throat as he tried to get her name out. _J-Juvia?_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Catherine Vastia just turned seventeen when she met Gray Fullbuster. Just like any other women her age, she was dreaming to find her prince. She witnessed with her own eyes how her father spoiled and loved her mother like she was a queen and she wanted a man like her father. A mature, loving, and gentle man.

She was as charming as her mother. She had her blue eyes and her wavy blue hair. Feeling like a clone to her mother, she dyed her hair. She chose dark-brown color and cut it short to the shoulder level.

Different from her mother, her childhood was showered with love from both Juvia and Lyon. She was friendly, outgoing, yet gentle and could be stubborn sometimes. She was also popular in her school. Many boys asked her out, but she was not interested in any of them. She was into an older and mature male. She'd rather wait for the right man to come along than dating any random males who showed interest in her.

"My princess, today is your entrance exam, let me give you a ride," Lyon said as he was took a sip of his coffee.

Catherine scoffed. "Dad, I'm seventeen. It's no longer proper to call me princess."

"But you'll always be daddy's little princess," Lyon chuckled.

"Kate, what daddy said is true. It's your entrance exam, let dad give you a ride to the university," Juvia said as she put an egg on Catherine's plate.

"No, I'll be fine mom. I have to go now," said Catherine as she took a quick glance at her watch. She then rushed into the front door and smiled at them before she opened the door, "mom, dad, wish me luck!"

"But sweety, you haven't finished your—"

The door was shut before Juvia could finish her sentence because Catherine knew it would be an endless debate with her mom. Her mom was very caring. Too caring perhaps. She always insisted Catherine to eat nutritious food all the time even after Catherine was yelling at her that she was on diet. But apparently Juvia was also being persistent, "Kate, this is for your health. Mom rather have you gaining weight rather than losing weight." And they would yell at one another until Lyon stepped in to stop them.

"She is really stubborn," Juvia groaned.

Lyon just giggled, "She reminds me of you."

"No, she was nothing like me," Juvia insisted as she was reaching a new jar of peanut butter from the top cabinet.

Lyon's voice turned husky and deep. "Yes, she could never beat her mother's beauty."

She didn't move at all as her cheeks crimsoned at his seductive praise. This was not the first time Lyon told her this, so she was clueless why she was still blushing.

Lyon then stood up and approached her. He hugged her from behind; he encircled his arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "How is your BBT today?"

Juvia took a deep breath as she tried to get as much of him into her system as she could, but the face of a young man with black raven hair flashed in her mind. She often wondered why she could not forget him? It had been seventeen years and all of her friends had moved on from their high school crush and found others. Everyone had moved on with their life, so how could she still stuck with the same person from high school? How could she still love him when she was married to another man?

As she felt his hands slid off her underwear, she snapped back into reality— that she was no longer with Gray; she was with Lyon now.

"Juvia thinks she is ovulating today," she said with a slight moan.

Lyon scooped her up, "That's wonderful, my beautiful queen."

"But, isn't Lyon-sama supposed to go working? Lyon-sama will be late—"

He silenced her by placing a single finger to her lips and whispered to her, "It's ok. It's not every day I have a chance to make love with my wife."

Lyon took her to the couch. He took her hand in his, and started to caress her fingers before kissing those gently. Then his eyes locked on hers. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her deeply with all the desire and passion like the first time he was making love to her.

A guilt pricked her mind as she was tasting another man's mouth when his tongue twisted with hers. She tried hard to shove Gray off her mind, but the harder she tried, the more it brought back her old memories with him.

 _Gray-sama, Juvia didn't think she could ever stop loving you…_

 **To be continued**

 **A/N: BBT stands for Basal Body Temperature. It's one of the methods to estimate ovulation, indicated by a slight increase of temperature.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Gray blinked as the sun rays crept through his eyelids. He rubbed his eyes and didn't utter any words. He was just looking at the window. It was still seven in the morning. Apparently he woke up much earlier than he used to. Suddenly he chuckled softly at the memory of them in the bed for the first time.

It was during the final week when both of them studied together in his room. Since Juvia performed poorly during previous exams, she needed miracle to pass the final exam; to make it into eleventh grade. Whereas Gray needed to study for university entrance exam as it was his final year. They studied from the very early morning until dark. But they both were not machine, they needed to take a quick nap in between. They laid in each other's arms until the ray of the sun crept in and stroke their faces.

Gray slowly opened his eyes. He had not been sleeping with her by his side. He had to close his eyelids so he wouldn't look at her. He didn't want to think of her because he fell for her, yet he still couldn't find the reasons why. But the lavender scent of her hair drove him crazy and it made him open his eyes for there was a desire within him to look at her closely. When he opened his eyes, he saw her face was lit up by single, intense ray of sunlight and she was so breathtakingly beautiful in her sleep. He eventually gave in the temptation to touch her. To touch her soft, pale skin and her beautiful lips. She lay snuggled with her face against his chest and he caressed her hair and hungrily went down to caress her back. That's when he knew he didn't need to find the answer why he fell for her. He loved her because she had made him. He loved her because she was perfectly fit in his arms, and he loved her because he knew she was his. She had always been his future.

Gray took off his boxer as he went to the bathroom. He vividly still remembered the first time he saw her wrapped in a white towel that cover her from breast to tight. Gray had to swallow. Really hard. He had never thought that he would see her wearing nothing more than a towel.

She just came out of the common bathroom in his apartment and apparently she was not aware that Gray was watching her from the living room. She was dancing to whatever songs she was humming. He knew he should made his presence known, but he couldn't. There was a thrill to admire her beauty without her knowing. He couldn't stop glancing at glorious curve of her body and he wouldn't trade that moment for anything in this world.

Came to think of it, he realized there were so many little things he missed about her. He missed hearing her singing in the shower even though it was criminally off-keys. He missed her quirky laugh and her angelic tone when she called his name, "Gray-sama." He missed how soft her cheeks were when he kissed her there. He missed when she snuggled with her face against his chest after watching horror movies and how she begged him to watch The Notebook for the third time with her. There were millions of little things the he missed, but the thing that he missed the most was waking up to her smile. There was something special about her smile that he couldn't explain in words. When she smile, he felt as if the whole world stopped for a while. As if time was suspended. That's when he knew that she had the power over him— to break and crush him into pieces after she left him.

It was a long silence in the shower with only the noise of the water falling on his body. Until he slammed his fist into the wall. _Juvia, why did you leave me?_

 _###_

Gray went to reach his ringing phone after he finished drying his hair.

"Hello mom, what's up?" He asked.

"Gray, today mom arranged a date for you. You are thirty-four now. How long are you going to fool around? Don't you see that your friends have settled down—"

Gray shortly hang up the phone. He was tired of his mother kept nagging him to settle down. It was not like he was fooling around. It was just that he had not found the right person after Juvia and he wasn't sure if he was ever going to find one. Of course he wondered sometimes how it felt like to settle down; have a family with the woman that he loved. He couldn't count anymore how many of his best friends' wedding parties he had attended. He had been hanging out with Natsu and Lucy since they were high school friends until they got married and they just recently had their first son. Sometimes he wondered what if Juvia didn't leave him and what if he told her the truth that he loved her. He might have settled down with her now. His mother might have stopped nagging him to go for blind dates. If only he could turn back time.

It was all still an unsolved puzzle as to why she all of sudden refused talking to him, why she avoided him at any cost, and why she left him just like that without any single words; as if the moment they shared together was meaningless.

He was driving with his head full of questions that he could not find the answers until he reached his office. He decided to stop by a coffee shop near his office. He could have asked his personal secretary to do so, but he decided to stroll for a while as he got there earlier than usual.

As he was walking to his office building, he bumped into a girl wearing high school uniform. The hot coffee spilled over his suit.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" said Catherine as she immediately wiped his suit with her handkerchief.

Before he could respond her, his eyes widened as he could not believe what he saw. Did he just see Juvia or was he just imagining her?

Catherine looked up at him and he was looking down at her. Their eyes met. This was all so insane, she could feel her heart beat wildly and she put her fist into her chest as if she was embarrassed if he could hear it. She had never seen such a handsome man like him before. He was the first man that she had really been attracted to in a very long time.

Gray finally snapped back into reality. What was he thinking? She just happened to be a little girl who resembled Juvia. She might reminded him of her, but she was not Juvia.

"It's alright. You'd better hurry to your school," he said gently.

"Oh alright. Thank you Sir," she bowed down for a while as an apology.

Gray smiled and he walked towards the building of his office. Catherine was just watching his back as he was leaving her. Should she ask him out? But wouldn't it be too aggressive? What if he despised the woman who made the first move? But if anything there was one thing that she could learn from her parents: Catherine always got what she wanted. What was the worst thing that could happen if she asked him out? Flat rejection? But then it might be their last encounter anyway. So screw it!

"Wait!" she decided to stop him.

"Yeah?" Gray turned his back to see her.

She took a deep breath to muster all of her courage. She didn't know if she could ask him out, but finally she did and she couldn't believe her own words. "Can we meet later after your office hour?"

 **A/N:This is the last chapter in my desktop (I hope it's not too cheesy). Thank you everyone who took their time to post encouraging words and follow the story. You guys are wonderful!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Gray was stunned with her words. Did he hear it wrong? But watching her biting her lower lip and her face turned to bright red in mortification, he knew he didn't hear it wrong.

Somehow this little girl reminded him of Juvia. She also had that same look the first time she asked him out. Juvia bit her lower lips with her eyes fixed on his and her face was all red. "Gray-sama, can Juvia meet you later after your basketball match?"

Gray hesitated, uncertain how to answer her because it was not only her eyes on him. Everyone else in his classroom stopped moving with Juvia openly asked him out. Their eyes were also on him; as if they waited for his answer too. Gray felt like he was being cornered. If he rejected her like he used to, Erza would kill him for being rude. If she asked him privately, it would be an easy no. But since everyone in his class knew it, he reluctantly nodded, "Ok."

His answer made Juvia squealed in delight, "Gray-sama, do you want Juvia to bring you water or maybe energy drink or should Juvia also bring you some bentos?"

Gray's face turned all red now as everyone else cheered on them, "Gray, you finally get a date."

Gray immediately cut them off before Juvia got the wrong idea. "No, it's not a date!"

Juvia giggled and Gray had never heard her giggle before. Surprisingly he found his giggle was cute. Came to think of it, he was grateful that Juvia asked him out openly because if he kept rejecting her, he wouldn't know how much he had missed in his life.

 _What's the harm of going out with this little girl anyway?_

Gray answered her, "No, I will pick you up after school hour. How does that sound?"

Catherine was surprised that he agreed to meet her. It was totally unexpected; she thought she would get a flat no.

"Actually today I only have an entrance exam for Fairy Tail University and my exam lasts until two in the after—"

"Alright then, I'll pick you up at the gate of Fairy Tail University at two pm," he said firmly.

His tone, however, was firm and not seductive at all, but it just sounded so sexy to Catherine's ears. It must be accent. Either that or she was just crazy about him.

"I'll be waiting then. Hmm, my name is Kate. What's yours?"

A sexy grin stretched across his face as he answered her, "Gray."

###

Catherine took a quick glance at her watch. It was 1:50 pm. In ten minutes she will be seeing him again. She was so nervous, but excited at the same time for it was the first time she went out with a guy.

She immediately ran towards the gate and she saw Gray was standing there.

Just the sight of him made her heart race like crazy, her cheeks heat, and the butterflies in her stomach went crazy. Then she heard him saying, "There you are."

She smiled warmly at him. "I've just finished the exam. Where are we going?"

Gray delicately shrugged off, "You must be starving. Let's just go for lunch."

###

Catherine could tell from his manner and tone that he was not romantically interested in her; he might just need a company for lunch. But she was determined to change his mind.

"You have an accent. You're not from here, are you?"

Gray shrugged, "Yeah, I'm from Crocus."

Her eyes widened with his answer. That's how he got the same accent as her mother. "My mom is also from Crocus."

Gray watched her, contemplating what he wanted to say. He didn't want to ask further. Asking further meant getting invested and that was the last thing he wanted, but he was the one who agreed to go out with her. "So what brought her here?" His silky voice glided over her like a warm, comforting blanket.

"My dad," she said after a pause. "My dad is from Magnolia. My mom was only fifteen when she was pregnant with me. I bet she freaked out because dad lived here so she decided to move here."

Gray nodded. His eyes were calm and focused on her face. His lips were together, but relaxed. She nearly stopped breathing when their eyes locked. There was calm and collected spirit about him. He was completely different from her father. He was in complete control and never showed any deep ingrained emotions.

"You have siblings?"

Catherine shook her head. "Nope, my dad really wanted to have another one. Everything in my mom's life slowed down when she was pregnant with me. She dropped out of school then raised me with dad. When she thought I could take care of myself, she went back to school, finishing college, and starting career so she kept delaying pregnancy. But now she has established her career so she wants to get pregnant soon. Oh gosh, I hope that will never happen."

Gray chuckled. _Juvia was also from Crocus and she was fifteen when she dropped out of school. Huh, what a crazy coincidence._

"What's wrong with having another sibling?"

"Eh no, thank you. I don't want to have a baby brother or sister when I am seventeen. That's totally embarrassing! Oh, mind telling me your age?"

"Thirty-four."

She gaped and her eyes stretching wide at his answer. "You are only one year younger than my dad! I thought you were like twenty-eight!"

Gray sipped his drink. His tone was gentle and, at the same time, firm. "So am I disappointing you because I'm as old as your dad?"

Catherine quickly panicked. "No, that's not what I mean—"

Gray chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I'm just joking."

She laughed, partially laughed at herself for taking everything he said seriously and partially in relief, because she didn't want to upset him.

She had this quirky laugh that sounded similar to Juvia. Almost everything she did reminded him about her. He knew it was a terrible idea to hang out with Catherine. Meeting her again would just make it much harder for him to move on. However, he surprised himself by asking her out again and again. He knew how pathetic he must have looked, but no matter how much he tried not let himself think about Juvia, he still missed her terribly.

###

"Lyon-sama, Juvia thinks Kate is hiding something from us," Juvia said as she removed her shirt and put her night gown on.

"Babe, Kate is a teenager and that's what teens do. They keep secret from us," Lyon replied.

"Kate giggled so much over reading text messages and when Juvia asked whom she was texting to, she immediately hide the phone as if Juvia was going to snatch her phone and lately she started to dress up and put on make-up. Juvia was just worried with her."

"I guess our little princess has found her prince."

"But this is not the right time to fall in love. She will be graduating from high school in few months and Juvia is scared if this secret boyfriend will mess up with her study. Please Lyon-sama, talk to Kate. She won't listen to Juvia!"

Lyon sighed just because he hated to be the bad guy for Kate. But he knew that Juvia was right, and if she did have a boyfriend, he had to know who that guy was.

"Fine, I'll talk to her tomorrow morning—"

His words were stopped as Juvia jumped into him. "Thank you Lyon-sama, Juvia knew she could rely on you!" She said excitedly.

He cupped her soft cheeks, "hey, anything for my wife."

Juvia giggled and Lyon kissed her softly on the lips. "Anyway babe, did you do a pregnancy test today?"

She startled at his question. "N-not yet. Juvia forgets, but she promises that she will do it tomorrow."

"Oh, that's fine," said Lyon before he gently kissed her forehead. She smiled at Lyon, then nodded, but inside she was worried. They had been trying to get pregnant for a year, yet she never got pregnant. Juvia just couldn't stand disappointing him like this. Lyon was a very good husband and father to Kate, even though Kate was not his biological child to begin with. Her first pregnancy was a mistake that should have never happened, but now when she was eager to have a baby, she could not get pregnant. Juvia glanced over the window and couldn't help herself but whispering, "God, why are you so cruel to Juvia?"

 **A/N: Since summer school is going to start soon, you might expect irregular updates for this story. Well, most probably I won't be updating this till September, but let's see how manageable this semester will be. Thank you for reading, following, and posting reviews. You guys amazing!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"Kate, you don't have to wear a mini skirt just to prove that you're a grown up," she said, annoyance in her voice, but Catherine just ignored her and took a bite of a sandwich that Juvia made for breakfast.

"Lyon-sama, say something," Juvia said irritably.

After a quick look at her skirt, Lyon eventually said, "That's a nice skirt Kate," and Juvia elbowed him to indicate her annoyance and to remind him of their last conversation last night.

"Thanks dad," Catherine grinned.

"Kate, can I give you a ride to school? We haven't talked for a while," Lyon said with a smile.

Catherine raised her brows. "Yea, I'm kinda late anyway."

###

"Kate, how is school going? Are you ready to get out of school?" Lyon asked as he started the engine.

Catherine just stared out the window and looked across the street, "You know, school sucks, but I'm going to miss high school anyway."

"Yeah, high school was the most exciting moment in my life too," Lyon agreed. "So how is Asuka doing? Sometimes mom met Bisca in the—"

"Dad, what are you trying to say?" Catherine cut in. "I know that mom must have asked you to talk to me. What is it about?"

Lyon sighed. Here it came the part that he loathed. "Well, we recently notice that you dress up, and—"

"What is wrong with me dressing up?" Catherine snapped.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Catherine began to raise her tone, "What? No!" Half-truth. She just didn't know where her relationship with Gray headed to. They enjoyed each other's company and she definitely grew fond of him, but she just didn't think that he felt the same way with her. Regardless of the relationship status, her parents could never find out about Gray. What would her father react if he found out that she hang out with a man that was only one year younger than him?

Lyon somehow could sense her hesitation so he just reworded his question, "Do you like someone romantically?"

Catherine felt she couldn't bear another minute of this conversation. "It's none of your business."

"It is actually. If you are close to a guy, you have to let me know. I'm your father and is my job to protect you and your mother."

Catherine scoffed, "like when you impregnated mom when she was still fifteen?"

Lyon decided to ignore her rude rhetorical question, even though it hurt him.

"We were just teenagers, but it doesn't have to happen to you—"

Catherine immediately cut him off, "dad, I'm seventeen and I'm not even dating anyone until today. I'm not easy like mom—"

Lyon hit the brake with a screech as he felt hot blood rise in his face. "Take back what you've just said," Lyon said, not raising his voice, but infusing it with an air of command that made it uncomfortable for Catherine to disobey.

Catherine began to tremble. This was the first time she saw her father was this angry at her, yet she didn't say anything.

"You can say whatever you want about me, but I won't let you speak ill of your mother."

There was an edge to her voice as she became defensive, "I'm not speaking ill of mom. I'm stating the truth. If she were not easy, she would not be pregnant at fifteen."

"Get out of my car now," he said, in a low dangerous tone.

"But dad, I'll be late for school."

Lyon get off the car and opened her side of door. "None of my business. Get out now."

"But—" When Catherine looked up at her father, and what she saw there was anger and hurt. Realizing that her father was dead serious, Catherine got off the car right away and her father did leave her in the street.

That quick, instant moment when her father got back to his seat and started the engine, she saw _tears_ in his face.

She could sense there was something deeper going on in her mother's life when she got pregnant with her; a secret that they both had been trying to hide from her; a secret that they would not want her to ever find out.

 **A/N: Sorry for any error in this story. I was in a rush as I typed it. I'll be focusing on Juvia's past for the next chapter. Thank you for reading, following, and leaving feedback. Stay awesome.**


	6. Chapter 6

That girl needs to learn her lesson, Lyon thought to himself as he drove towards his office. When he hit a red light, he checked his cell phone to see if Juvia called. He caught a sight of a picture of him, Juvia, and a two years-old Catherine in one of his folders. A smile spontaneously erupted on his face as it's been seventeen years since she was born. Came to think of it, if it were not for Catherine, he might never had her chance with Juvia.

Lyon was a first-year law student, who came back to his hometown in Margaret town during winter break seven teen years ago. He had his childhood friend, Sherry, who worked in a day care with a new young woman named Juvia. The day he came to the daycare to pick up Sherry, he saw Juvia for the first time and his eyes were captured by her beauty, but she was a single, unmarried woman who was nine months pregnant. Hence, he decided not to get involve with her. Later that night he realized he left his apartment key in the daycare, so he had to go back. Sherry told him that Juvia lived in the daycare as she had no other place to sleep in, so he should be able to go in, pick up his key and return to his apartment. But little did he knew that his life was going to change the night he came back to pick up his apartment key.

He saw Juvia kneeled with her hands on the stomach. She was crying and screaming as her water broke and her womb was contracting with tremendous force.

"Let me call ambulance," said Lyon as he helped her laying down on the floor.

"No, the baby is coming now!" she yelled, crying out in pain. "I have to push."

"What?" Lyon was shocked. Never once he dreamt he would help a stranger delivering a baby.

She grabbed hold of his arm and said, "Please stay with Juvia." Then she screamed out as another strong contraction came. Out of curiosity, Lyon went to take a look between her legs and he saw a bulge in her underwear. "C-can I?" He asked, blushing, while pointed out her underwear and Juvia just nodded.

He removed her underwear and saw the baby's head. "Oh shit, the baby is coming out!" He yelled.

"Aaghh!" Juvia screamed from another contraction and the baby was coming out faster.

"Shit! What should I do?" he asked frantically.

"Don't let her fall!" Juvia yelled as she pushed the baby out. Lyon instantly held the head of the baby and finally the baby came out to her feet and Juvia could hear the baby crying.

"How is she?" Juvia asked exhaustedly.

"She is perfect," said Lyon as he held the baby for the first time. He then caught Juvia's eyes and he was still admiring her beauty; she still looked beautiful even though she looked pale and exhausted after delivering a baby.

"Juvia is a mother now," she said with her eyes filled with tears and he could feel the corner of her mouth curling up into a smile. She had this affectionate and sweet smile that he could not forget.

"Yes, congratulations new mom." Lyon handed the baby to Juvia. "Have you thought of a name?"

Juvia nodded while she couldn't take her eyes off the baby. "Catherine."

###

Lyon was annoyed as he was driving on the freeway and had to be surrounded by heavy traffic. He didn't like to see anyone get ahead of him, even though they were already there before he entered the freeway. He didn't like to lose; he always had to win. He signaled a lane change, but a BMW car pulled up alongside him, blocking his way.

Who is this asshole, he thought himself and tried to catch a sight of the driver. His eyes went wide as he recognized the man who drove the BMW car. Wasn't that man— Gray?

He wanted to see the man again to make sure that he saw what he just saw, but the BMW car was way ahead of his car now and Lyon lost him. But he knew that figure very well. It must be Gray.

His heart beating fast against the wall of his broad chest. _What is he doing here? Does he find out that Juvia lives here?_

His heart leaped into his throat, and anger tightened inside him. His fist clenched in the steering wheel, but he just remained silent. He promised himself that he would never ever let Gray, through all time, see her again.

###

 **A/N: I'm sorry I remembered I said earlier that I would focus on Juvia's past, but I think it's not the time yet. Let me build the plot here first before we reach the climax. The #1 and #2 guests: thank you for the review. Yeah, I understand that Catherine was not likeable in the previous chapter, but she was just a clueless, spoiled teenager 0.0**


	7. Chapter 7

_Lyon lazily rubbed his eyes. It was the damp cold air that cramped his legs and woke him up. It felt like he was only sleeping for fifteen minutes and now the dawn came. He was in the daycare with Juvia and her newborn for the whole night. He told himself earlier after helping Juvia through childbirth, he would call it a night, go back to his apartment, and Sherry or whoever owned the daycare would deal with her and the baby._

 _He kept reminding himself that Juvia was a beautiful young woman; maybe the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, but she was a teenage mom who fled from home. She could be a trouble. But damn, the look in her eyes was calling him. She didn't say anything, but he knew that she was scared to take care of the baby alone. And there was part of him that wanted to make her feel safe and calm, so he offered to stay. He had to run errand last night; buying diapers and small blanket for the baby. He was fine with that, but the worst part was he didn't have a chance to sleep well last night: the baby was crying for every two hours. Not only the loud cry that kept him awake, but sleeping on the floor hurt his back too. He heard from Sherry that Juvia had been living there for three months and he wondered how she could endure sleeping on the floor during pregnancy._

 _The first thing he saw was Juvia asleep on the floor with Catherine slept on her chest. They both slept peacefully despite the cold air and Lyon decided not to wake them up. Hence, he silently walked to see if the heater was on. After checking it, he realized that the heater was not working anymore._ _Oh no, it could be dangerous for the baby, he thought. He took a quick glance at his watch and it was six in the morning._

 _Lyon gently shook her shoulder. "Juvia, I think is time to go see a midwife. The heater is not working either," he said, looking over her tired face._

 _Juvia blinked and replied weakly, "But Juvia doesn't have money—"_

" _My step sister is a midwife and she should be home by now. Come on, I'll drive," said Lyon as he helped her up._

 _###_

" _Lyon-sama, thank you so much for last night."_

" _Oh, no problem at all."_

 _They both remained silent during the trip until Catherine cried all of sudden._

" _Her diaper is still dry. She might be starving," Juvia said and she began to unbutton her shirt, but then she seemed hesitated. "Lyon-sama, please don't look over here," she added and her face became red._

" _No, I won't. I'm driving here," he said with a sudden blush._

 _Juvia timidly nodded and she took off her bra then brought Catherine to her nipple._

 _He didn't want to peek, but he still did. He was, after all, a man. He had never seen a breast naked woman before. How sinfully luscious she was, despite the fact that he had just seen a baby came out of her vagina last night. She was still desirable and he wanted her. Nothing was surprising about that. Men always lusted after women. But his lust and desire got mixed up and confused with a stronger emotion that he could not tell._

 _Ok Lyon, you need to keep the distance, he kept reminding himself the same thing over and over. He wanted nothing to do with romantic entanglement because he just wanted to focus with finishing law school timely. But something deep inside him twisted. He didn't know much about her past, but the fact that she left home when she was still pregnant made him suspicious that she had been fleeing from something or someone and he wanted to protect her. An odd to think, he told himself. Protect. The only people that he wanted to protect was his family— Ur, Ultear, and…. Gray. His family had always been there for him in his entire life; through the best and the worst day of his life. He loved them and he owed them his life. But Juvia was just a stranger that he met yesterday. She was vulnerable; she had nobody to rely on during the hardest time of her life. Maybe he just pitied her? He didn't know._

" _Juvia, why don't you stay at my place for a while? At least until someone fixes the heater in the daycare. And my step sister is a midwife so you and Catherine are safer with us."_

" _That's a very generous offer Lyon-sama, but Juvia is fine."_

" _Juvia, do you trust me?"_

" _Eh?" She was caught off guard by his unexpected question. Trust was a luxury she could no longer afford. After leaving the house, she went upon the street. She lived off the street and when she was lucky, she could get a chance to sleep in a homeless shelter. For the first time in her life, she experienced distrust and suspicious toward people she met. For the first time in her life, she felt a sickening sense of sorrow and fear at the thought that the world was not all kind._

" _Juvia trusts you Lyon-sama. Juvia even knew you before she met you. Sherry talked about you every day."_

 _Lyon chuckled, "I hope all good things about me."_

 _Juvia giggled, "yes, she told Juvia everything about you. She is admiring you like you are his savior."_

 _Lyon chuckled. He knew that Sherry since they were kids and they still became good friends till today. He was not that dense; he knew she liked him, but he just didn't feel the same way._

" _Juvia, I'm a blunt person. When I offer you my place, I mean it. Daycare is not a decent place for Catherine to live in and well, she also needs a bed."_

 _Juvia just nodded because she knew he was right. The condition in the daycare was not a conducive place for a little baby to grow up and the kids in the daycare could bring contagious disease too._

" _I'll talk to Ultear. She's my step sister and she's a very nice person. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to live with us forever, just until Catherine has adequate immune system to go back to daycare."_

" _That could take a while—" Juvia trailed off._

" _That's fine Juvia as long as you and Catherine are safe," said Lyon._

 _Tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly turned away. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but she couldn't help herself. His tenderness caressed her wounded soul and touched her heart in ways that she couldn't explain. For the first time_ _after long time living in the darkness, she realized the world was not as cruel as she thought it was._

 **A/N: I deeply apologize for the time transition. I find it hard to write flashback in multi-chapters story so I'm sorry if it's confusing. I also apologize for always writing less than 1.5k words, mainly because I also have assignments and exams coming up so I have to limit my time to write.**

 **Guest #1: I'm glad that you like the story! Yep, I can't agree more with you. Sometimes people just say things that they don't mean it.**

 **Guest #2: This is just my personal opinion and I might be wrong, but from my observation even when parents raise their children well, sometimes they still hold resentment towards the parents because they think the parents are over-controlling their life even though parents always mean well for their kids. I'm not sure if it's going to be angsty, but I hope you still enjoy this chapter if you read it :)**

 **Fans are weird: welcome back! It's good to hear from you again :) I'm so glad that you've enjoyed the story so far! But I'm truly sorry that my recent chapters are pretty disorganized and time transition might be confusing. Aw, I'm flattered with your kind words, but I will not call it a fantastic imagination, I think I was just watching too much love drama series in my hometown LOL.**

 **Last but not least, thank you for reviewing. I know this story is far from popular, but your reviews are what keeps me going. I don't think I'll continue the story if it's not for your words of encouragement (but feel free to post negative review too as long as it's constructive, no hate reviews tolerated. There are limits a human can take.) Thank you and have fantastic weekends.**


	8. Chapter 8

As Lyon reached his office, he heard his cell ringing and he saw Juvia's number.

"Hey baby, what's up? I was just thinking of you," he said, pulling over and leaning back in his chair.

"Lyon-sama, how could you do that to Kate?" she asked angrily.

He gave a heavy sigh. Catherine must have told her. "She was being disrespectful to you, so she needed to learn her lesson," he began, but she cut him off. "Lyon-sama, she's just a kid!" she raised her voice as the frustration built.

"Juvia, you've spoiled her too much! Wake up! She's seventeen for fuck sake. She's a grown up!" he yelled back at her, his breathing increasing with frustration.

"She is Juvia's little girl and she will forever be," she replied, forcing a calm, gentle tone instead of the raging frustration she truly felt.

He let out a heavy sigh of exasperation. "Juvia, you're not making any sense here! It's her time to grow up and you cannot spoil her forever."

She took a deep breath, and then she said, "Juvia knows what this is about. It's because she's not your daughter and Juvia cannot give you a child, right?"

"What? Fuck no! Kate is also my daughter. I was with you when you delivered her and we've been raising her together since. I treat her like my own child because she is and you know that."

His heart hurt, his head hurt, everything hurt. He couldn't believe after seventeen years raising Kate, Juvia still told him that she was not his child.

She sighed before hanging up the phone, leaving the hurt billowing up in his chest.

###

" _She's a nice person Lyon, but I don't want her to live with us. I knew you must have brought her here because you think I can look after him. In fact, I can't. I have projects going on and research paper piling up. I can't help her!" said Ultear._

" _Please, this is just for three week. In three weeks, my winter break will be over and I will bring her with me to Hargeon," he begged._

" _This three weeks will be the busiest moment in my life! And what exactly is your relationship with her that you have to take her to Hargeon?" she asked._

" _She's the mother of my child," he lied. Truth was, he didn't even know who the father was and he didn't know how he came up with the lie, but he did. He knew that his step sister loved her family so much and he had to take advantage of that._

 _Ultear gasped. "What? So that baby is my— niece?" she asked in disbelief._

 _Lyon nodded, "that's why I need your help. I cannot let my child sleep in the shelter or under the bridge. You have to understand that."_

" _O my God, Lyon, I'm so sorry, you should've told me since beginning. Yeah, she can stay with us—"_

" _Promise me you won't tell mom or Gray," he cut her off._

 _Ultear narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I haven't contacted Gray since forever, but mom will find out soon enough. She'll be here next week."_

" _I mean, let me talk to her. This is my responsibility, so I should be the one talking to her."_

 _Ultear nodded in agreement. "Oh, but you'll be going to Crocus next week right?"_

 _Lyon chuckled, "yeah, to see my stupid 'brother', but I'll talk to her before I go to Crocus."_

 _###_

Lyon couldn't think of anything else all the way home. There was just so much happening: he began the day by kicking her daughter out of his car, and Juvia found out and they had an ugly arguments over the phone. He couldn't believe that she thought so low of him. After seventeen years through thick and thin, she still assumed that he mistreated Catherine because she was not his biological child. He hurt, but it was the hurt that he could live with. And there was Gray Fullbuster— his long lost brother. He let out a sigh and whispered to himself, "Gray, what are you doing in Magnolia?"

###

 _When Gray and Lyon were still in elementary school, they both lived together with Ur and Ultear for few months. Since the death of his father, Mika Fullbuster wanted a better life for her son, so she decided to leave the town, looking for business opportunity. Mika knew Ur well, so she asked for her help to take care of Gray while she was gone and Ur instantly agreed to help. She was just recently adopting Lyon, and she thought it would be good for Lyon too to have a friend his age._

 _After four months living together, Mika came back to take Gray home. Mika brought him back to Crocus, their hometown whereas Lyon, Ur, and Ultear still lived in Margaret town. At that time, cell phone and internet were not discovered yet, so the only means of communication available were phone and letters. They were barely in touch; they were only contacting one another when Lyon planned to travel to Crocus or when Gray planned to travel to Margaret town. Even though they barely talked and they only saw each other very occasionally, their bond still remained strong_.

 _It had been seven years since they saw each other, so Lyon took the opportunity of winter break to visit Gray._

" _You're sure you don't want to come with me?" Lyon asked Juvia as Juvia helped him packing his stuff._

 _Juvia shook her head, "Juvia doesn't want to go back."_

 _Lyon nodded. He didn't know much about her past, besides the fact that she fled from Crocus to Margaret town. Juvia still didn't want to share her past with him, and he respected that. She would tell in her own timing, he thought. And actually he didn't care much about her past; he just wanted her by his side, where he knew he could keep her safe. He just wanted to make her feel better._

" _But Lyon-sama, maybe you can do Juvia a favor."_

 _Lyon shrugged his shoulder, "yeah, what is it?"_

" _Can you check my mailbox?"_

 _###_

As Lyon parked his car in the garage, he saw Juvia was standing there inside the garage. Juvia walked towards his car and hugged him as he got off his car.

"Juvia is sorry. Juvia should've never said that," she cried.

He stroked her hair gently as he kissed her forehead. "No, don't be! You were just being a great mom for Kate and I failed to see that. I'm so sorry Juvia."

Juvia wiped away her tears. "Juvia was frustrated. She is scared if she can't give you a baby."

Lyon lifted up her chin gently. "Oh God, I'm sorry Juvia, I didn't realize that I pressured you to have a baby with me! If we can't have a baby, that doesn't make me love you less. I'm still so into you Juvia. Even after all these years. "

She thought her heart would stop. His words were not flirtatious, but they penetrated deep. Lucky wasn't strong enough to describe how she felt to have a husband like Lyon. She was supposed to be the happiest woman on earth, but she was not. A part of her was still missing, and he could never take Gray's place.

She smiled warmly at him, "thank you Lyon-sama."

"Juvia—"

"Hum?"

He took a deep breath; he didn't know if he should tell her, but he eventually did. "I saw Gray this morning."

###

 _As Lyon opened her mailbox, he saw hundreds of the same blue envelopes. His curiosity piqued. He knew he just needed to bring all of Juvia's letters to her, but he decided to peek who sent all of those. His eyes widened as he realized all the envelopes came from the same sender— Gray Fullbuster._

 _Suddenly the adrenaline flooding him over these sealed envelopes. He quickly ripped open one of the envelopes. He then slid the paper further out of the envelope until he could see it completely._

" _Dear Juvia, days seem to be moving a lot slower without you being here. I've everywhere looking for you, for months. Our friends think I lose my mind since you're being gone and I hate to admit it, but they're true. I do think of you every minute. Please come back."_

 _He could not believe what he had just read. Could it be that Gray was the father? But if he was, then why did Juvia leave?_

 _A spark of jealousy darkened his eyes as he curled his fist, crumpling the letter into the ball. He then took all of his letters and disposed those in the nearest trash can._

 _He then went to the nearest phone booth and called Juvia._

" _Juvia," he said in a low tone._

" _Lyon-sama! Juvia is glad to hear from you! Did you see any letters for Juvia?"_

 _He swallowed nervously and bit his lower lip. Guilt pricked him hard, but he shoved it aside_. _He knew it was not fair for Juvia, but the thought of losing her was unbearable; his feeling for her was growing. He felt more than friendship when he was with her. He decided that he could live with this lie as long as he didn't lose her. As he looked away into the chilly, windy evening, he heard her voice, "Lyon-sama?"_

" _No Juvia, there's no letter for you."_

 **A/N: This story is officially on hiatus until September. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and following. Y'all awesome!**

 **Guest and potato: thank you so much for your support. I'm glad you've enjoyed this story so far!**


	9. Chapter 9

Juvia's eyes widened at his words. _Gray-sama is here?_

She couldn't say anything as her fear rising, adding to her trembling. _Does Gray-sama know about Catherine?_ She tried to calm herself down, to slow her breathing. She threw her gaze to the floor and shuddered heavily.

Sensing her distress, he gently lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "I'll keep you safe," he continued. "I promised you that, remember?"

Juvia nodded and buried her head in his chest. She wouldn't deny that she was thrilled to hear his name—She had been missing him so much, but at the same time she was also scared to meet him. The memory of her horror past would never die. She didn't think she was ready to face anyone from her past.

But he was not just anyone from her past. He was _more_ than that.

She wanted to see him, but she was afraid of her own emotion.

She hoped they would not bump into one another in this small city, yet she wanted to touch him.

She had never felt so conflicted like this before. But she would keep all of this on her own. Lyon didn't need to know anything about this.

"What time should Catherine be home today?"

His question snapped her back into reality.

"She said she's going to study in Asuka's place until midnight, so we don't have to wait for her."

Lyon raised his brow. "Is she really our daughter? She's never been this studious like this before."

Juvia let out a chuckle. "She's having final exam, but Juvia will pick her up in Asuka's place."

"Nah, you have to rest, I'll go and pick her up," Lyon said, wrapping her arms around Juvia's waist and she could feel the gentle kiss he pressed to her forehead.

"Lyon-sama is spoiling Juvia so much," she said, teasing her husband.

"That's my job as your husband."

His answer sounded so simple, yet it was very profound. He had never failed to make her feel desirable, and loved when she felt she didn't deserve to be loved and wanted. His sweet affection, and his unconditional love when he knew her past and it didn't make him love her any less.

But she had betrayed her husband. The moment she thought of Gray. The moment she longed for his touch. The moment she remembered his face when she was making love to her husband. The moment she wished her husband were Gray.

 _Lyon-sama, maybe you're better off if you're with Sherry or any other woman who loves you better than Juvia does._

###

" _Mr. Jose, is Gray home?" Lyon asked as he stepped into Gray's house._

" _Yeah, he is in his room. Good luck if you can drag him out of his room," he answered nonchalantly._

 _Lyon narrowed his eyes. What's wrong with this guy? He had never once liked his brother's new step-father. It just seemed something was off with that guy. But he didn't come here to judge his step-father. He was here just to see his brother. It had been seven years since they last saw each other._

 _Lyon knocked Gray's bedroom, but he didn't respond. Feeling annoyed of not being welcomed after travelling far from Margaret town, Lyon just opened the door and found Gray sitting on his desk, and staring emptily at the window. He stood there for few minutes, but as Gray still stared at the window, Lyon finally opened his mouth. "Gray?"_

" _Oh, Lyon," he said, turning his head to see his brother. He gave Lyon a look of exasperation. His hair was messy and his eyes were all red and vacant. As if he had not taken care of himself for weeks._

" _You creep me out. What are you doing?"_

 _Gray shrugged off his shoulder. "I don't know."_

 _Lyon scoffed. "Is that how you welcome a brother who hasn't seen you for seven years?"_

 _Taking a glance on his desk, Lyon's eyes widened as he saw a couple of pictures of Gray blushing as Juvia wrapped her arms on his neck, smiling at the camera. She did have this mesmerizing smile that melted his heart away. He then remembered the letters that he found in Juvia's mailbox. Apparently, this was not a coincidence. It was truly Gray, his own brother. He calmed himself down and maintained his composure. "Is she your girlfriend?" he asked carefully._

 _Gray nodded. "Yeah, but she's gone and I don't know where she is now."_

" _What do you mean she's gone?"_

 _Gray shrugged off his shoulder. "I don't know. She just left with no words said. I've been searching her everywhere and asked her mom, but she was clueless with her own daughter's whereabouts."_

 _Lyon could sense the desperation in his tone. Desperation to find Juvia. If Lyon told him that he knew her whereabouts, maybe his brother would not be suffering like this anymore, but! As much as he loved Gray, he didn't want to lose Juvia. Not when he started to fall for her._

 _I also don't know why Juvia left him, maybe I should talk to her first, Lyon tried to reason with himself. Or just to find an excuse. Any excuse that would shut his mouth._

" _Hey, Gray, let's just take a walk. You won't make your brother come to see you in despair, will you?"_

 _Gray looked up at him and he sighed. "Fine, one hour only."_

 _He cleared his throat, and faked a smile, patting Gray's head. "That's my brother."_

 _He was relieved that Gray didn't sense that he was hiding someone very important for him, but at the same time guilt swamped him._

 _I'm sorry Gray to see you this way, but I cannot tell you. At least not now._

 **A/N: Ok, have to end it here. Need to study for final exam.**

 **guest and Potato: thank you for reviewing! Can Juvia be pregnant? It will be revealed as the story progresses :D**


	10. Chapter 10

" _Lyon-sama, you're home," Juvia said with a warm smile. That warm smile that made him feel like he was the only person in that tiny apartment, the only person in her universe. He had missed that smile since he went to Crocus. There was not a day went by without him thinking of her or longing to be with her._

" _Yeah, is Ultear home?"_

 _Why couldn't he just come out and said that he had missed her? It killed him not to be able to tell her his true feeling. But he was scared to destroy all the beautiful things they had together if he confessed. He didn't want her to reciprocate his feeling just because she felt she was owning him her life. That would be coercion._

" _She's working now, so it's just me and Catherine."_

 _Before Lyon opened his mouth, the door was slammed open. His eyes widened to see Ur, his mother standing there. Crap, how could have he forgotten that today Ur came back and he still didn't tell her that Juvia and Catherine were living under her roof?_

" _Mom?" He could hear his heart beat in his ears._

" _Lyon, oh! You must be Juvia! Welcome to our family," she said, pulling Juvia closer to her and hugging her._

" _H-Hi Mrs. Ur," Juvia stuttered. She was surprised as she didn't expect her warmth. At all._

 _Lyon raised his brow, trying to grasp the situation. Then he eventually realized that Ultear must have blurted out despite him telling her to shut up._

" _I'm really sorry Juvia. I'm truly embarrassed by what my son had done to you, but I'm glad that you chose life, and now I have a chance to see my granddaughter," she said when they broke the hug._

 _Juvia looked confused at her words. She was still trying to process what Ur had just told her, but before she could clarify it she heard Catherine crying out loudly from the bedroom._

" _I'm sorry Mrs. Ur. Catherine is awake, I have to see her."_

" _Oh let me see my granddau—" Her words were stopped by her son. "Mom, not now. We'll talk later. I promise," he said before following Juvia to the bedroom._

" _Lyon," before she could continue her words, Lyon slammed the bedroom door close._

" _I'm sorry, Juvia. I have to lie to them," he said softly, his voice full of regrets._

" _What did you tell her exactly? Juvia needs to know," she said, turning her back from him as she breastfed her tiny little baby._

" _I told Ultear that you are the mother of my baby. That's all."_

" _Why did you have to lie?"_

 _Lyon took a deep breath. "Because Ultear didn't want to have you here as she was busy with school and crap, so I have to make up something—"_

" _By lying to your own sister and mom? Juvia doesn't understand why you have to lie. If Ultear didn't want us here, why don't you just tell Juvia so Juvia can leave? Did Lyon-sama think Juvia wouldn't be able to handle things on her own?" she cut him off with a sharp edge in her voice. She should have known better that nobody would ever welcome a poor, young single mother in their home. Nobody._

 _Her heart was not only hurt, but her pride was also wounded. She was tired of begging people to hire her for any job that she could not secure for longer a month when they found out she was pregnant. She was tired of begging strangers for pennies so she could afford one slice of bread. She was tired of being stared coldly by strangers because she was sleeping with her tummy growing bigger near the train station as she could not afford to rent a decent place to live in. She was just tired of everything._

 _Lyon cleared his throat, torn apart by guilt. Not the guilt of lying to his family. He did that hundred times, and they would always forgive him. But the guilt that he wasn't thinking of her feeling. He did what he had thought was best for her, without asking her what she wanted._

" _I'm sorry Juvia, I should've told you this earlier. But I do want to keep you and Catherine safe," he said, his voice filled with sincerity._

 _Juvia didn't say anything. Instead, she just put Catherine gently in her crib, but she still refused to see him._

" _Lyon-sama, you are a very adept liar. You fooled Juvia once, and Juvia won't let you fool her again," she said bluntly._

 _He cupped her chin with his fingers and the deep blue eyes staring back at him were cold._

" _I wasn't fooling you Juvia. I did what I thought was best for you two because I do care about you and Catherine," he said steadily._

" _Why do you care about Juvia? You only met her one day before you offered her a shelter," she insisted despite his eyes telling her the truth. She had lost her ability to read people since the day she found out she was pregnant. People that she thought she could rely on were betraying her; they kept pushing her for an abortion. And when she was away from home without any pennies, she had just realized she was living in an unforgiving world where people refused to help her without expecting anything in return._

" _Because you are stunningly beautiful. Inside and outside. The fact that you chose life even though you have no reliable support system talks a lot about you. It just feels right whenever I'm with you. Even when we are in one room and we have nothing to say to one another, it still feels right. You are just a perfect company for me," he said. "Being with you is enchantingly great, and you have no idea how much I missed you when I was in Crocus," he added, staring at her lovingly with full adoration. His confession reverberated in her head. She paused for a brief moment as she felt a kind of happiness in her heart. She had to admit that his generosity were overwhelming, but to think that he liked her was harder to believe. She didn't understand what he saw in her._

 _She looked up at him, trying to search the truth in his eyes. "Juvia doesn't deserve your love," she muttered. When Lyon returned her stare with a heart-warming smile and unflinching love in his eyes, she could feel the great love and adoration for her in her heart. "Juvia deserves my love and anyone's love," he answered._

 _But you don't know about Juvia's past! She wanted to protest, but Lyon silenced him with a finger to her lips. "You don't have to tell me anything about your past if you're not ready for it," he said as if he could read her mind._

 _Juvia just nodded. "Thank you Lyon-sama," she muttered._

" _Actually Juvia, I am thinking if you and Catherine want to move to Hargeon with me. Well, I'm still a student, but I have some part time jobs and I live in a small apartment. But if you want to live here, it's fine too. I'm sure my mom and my sister will look after you and Catherine—"_

 _Lyon couldn't even finish his words when Juvia suddenly hugged him. She hugged like someone who's not used to hugging: she nervously held tight his torso, but cling on far too long as if she's afraid to let go. "J-Juvia and Catherine will follow Lyon-sama," she said in a barely audible indiscreet tone. His lips curled up into a smile and he patted her head. "Thank you, Juvia," he whispered near her ears._

 _###_

"You do come to my place this time," Asuka said, opening the door to see Catherine was standing there.

"Yeah, Gray-sama rejected me. He said he didn't want to meet me until I graduate from high school," she scoffed, removing her shoes and shocks as she entered Asuka's house.

Asuka began to tease her and said, "Oh your mysterious boyfriend is so caring."

"He's not my boyfriend yet. And damn it my dad keeps calling me even though I hang up his call."

"You're still mad with your dad?"

"Yeah, can you believe it? He dropped me off in the street this morning and I had to walk two miles to get to the bust stop."

"Maybe he felt guilty. That's why he kept calling you. You should've answered him."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Nope, I don't need to. He texted me, telling me that he would pick me up at midnight. Crap, I'd rather take a bus."

"Or ask your mysterious boyfriend to pick you up?"

Catherine laughed. "Hey, that's not a bad idea, but I don't want to disturb him. He might be working or sleeping at that time, I don't know. Oh speaking of the devil, Gray-sama texted me!"

" _Good luck. Stay focused on your study."_

Catherine sighed. "Just another boring message. I was expecting he would confess, but he never did."

Asuka narrowed her eyes. "So why don't you go see him and confess?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because he's much older than you, so he would just take things slowly, I bet. What's the worst thing if he rejects you? He's not our classmate or anyone that we have to encounter every day."

Catherine paused for a moment. "You're right about that. Thanks Asuka!" she said, putting her socks and shoes on.

"What, where are you going?"

"To meet him and confess, you yourself said it. Duh."

"Yeah, but not now. Let's just study first, you can meet him tomorrow—"

"Thanks Asuka, you're the best," she winked and slammed Asuka's front door open and close.

Asuka sighed. She should have kept her mouth shut.


	11. Chapter 11

Gray was just about to sleep when he heard the doorbell. He whirled around and opened the door. Surprised, he blinked several times. "Kate, what are you doing here? It's pretty late."

"I'll only be a moment. Please let me in," she said, half-begging for his approval.

She saw him hesitate, but to her amazement, he opened the door wide for her to enter. Then he slammed the door and locked it. "What do you need?" he asked.

With a hesitant smile, she surprised him— shocked him. She raised up on her toes, wrapped an arm around his neck, and she kissed him. And it was not a brief, timid, innocent kiss like his first kiss with Juvia. She kissed him deeply with an intoxication combination of ardor and inexperience. But then he surprised himself even more—he kissed her back; his tongue went deeper, teasing her tongue to respond. And she answered his in a deep, stirring, sensual kiss. She kissed like a fantasy and she tasted like a dream.

But suddenly he withdrew his tongue from her mouth, and her eyes sprang open. "Gray-sama?" she asked, perplexed. But Gray looked away, filled with remorse and shame. Catherine was sweet and gorgeous, and as much as he wanted to make love to her, he didn't love her. Walking away from her would be the most decent thing to do, but he needed to let her know that it wasn't her. It was him who was still in love with the same woman, even after seventeen years. He glanced back at her, and she saw only kindness and regret in his eyes as he looked at her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to lead you on. I'm still in love with the same woman, and I don't think I could love anyone more than I love her."

She glanced at Gray and her heart stopped. A flush of warmth rushed to her face as she understood that he only felt remorse after kissing her. He thought of another woman, and that woman was not her. She instinctively stepped backward, only to bump her head against the closed front door. Before she had time to be embarrassed, which she wasn't even sure whether she should be embarrassed of kissing him first or for her lacking of sophistication as her head bumped against the closed door, he reached out and cupped the back of her head. "Are you alright, Kate?"

She replied in shaky voice, "Gray-sama, I do like you and I know deep inside you are also attracted to me. Otherwise, why would you want to hang out with a woman half your age in the first place? Please, give me a chance and I will make you forget about her."

He himself didn't know why he couldn't just let Juvia go. She just left him seventeen years ago with no words. Every day he wrote her letters, went to her place, and searched her anywhere, yet he had never found her. As if she didn't want to be found. As if she didn't want to see him ever again. As if she rejected him. It hurt him, but he'd live through it before and he'd do it again this time. The question was for how long? For the rest of his life?

Then Catherine came along and she constantly reminded him of Juvia. Maybe he eventually found her replacement. Maybe it was time to move on with her replacement? But he knew it was not right. It would not be fair for Catherine.

"It's not right. It's not fair for you either."

She put her finger on his lip. "You don't even know what's right or what's fair for me. Don't overthink it. Don't analyze it." Without giving him a chance to talk, she cupped his cheeks and kissed him again.

He reached for her hips and drew her closer to him, and suddenly the tension broke.

It felt right.

##

As Lyon was still reading a book, his phone rang. He wondered who could have called him at this hour. It was pretty late and in an hour he had to get ready to pick up Catherine in Asuka's place.

"Hello?"  
"Hello Lyon-san. This is Asuka. Kate—"

"Oh Asuka, thank you for taking care of Kate. Does she need a ride now?"

"Kate—"

As he heard her hesitating, Lyon looked around if Juvia was there; he just didn't want to make her worry again about their daughter. After noticing that she was still taking a shower in the bathroom, he whispered over the phone, "What's wrong with Kate?"

"She went to her boyfriend's place an hour ago and she hasn't come back to my place. I'm really sorry Lyon-san," she whispered with a small voice that sounded panic.

Lyon arched his eye brow and began to press her, "What? Who is her boyfriend?"

"I don't know. I've never met him, but she kept calling him Gray-sama."

He heard what she was saying and the way she sounded, and he began to stress out _._ Was that why he recently saw Gray in this city? He wanted to scream and curse, but no voice would form in his stilled throat. Gray's face floated across the inside of his closed lids. The simple vision angered his ravaged brain.

"Do you know where she's going?" he eventually spoke after he calmed himself.

"I have no idea. She just told me she wanted to go to his place."

"Okay, thank you Asuka. I'll find her."

He then hang up the phone without giving Asuka a chance to reply. As anger ran through his veins, his bones, and his nerves, he marched over to grab his car keys and put them in his pocket. Shaking with a toxic mixture of anger and adrenaline, he started his car. How dared Gray came back to his life? How dared he came back to take their daughter away?

##

" _Juvia, do you know Gray Fullbuster?"_

 _Lyon looked into her eyes and for a brief second he thought he saw the shine of tears in her eyes when he mentioned his name. But then she faked a smile as he was about to comfort her. "He is the man I've always been in love with."_

 _Her bluntness shocked him— and even hurt him. "Oh," was all he managed to say. "Gray is my childhood friend, but I always think of him as my brother. I went to see him in Crocus last week."_

 _Again, she closed her eyes. Only this time, she could not hide her tears. "How is he doing?" she asked in a shaky voice._

" _He is excited that he is going to the university." He smiled and lied through his teeth._

 _Juvia's remorseful smile on her pained face sliced through his gut. "I'm glad that he's doing great after I left the city." For the first time, he heard bitterness in her tone._

" _Juvia. Is he the father of Kate?" He blurted out. He was scared for her answer, but he knew he needed the truth. If Gray was the father of Kate, he had no reasons to separate them. He had no reasons to lie to both of them._

 _She looked up at him and flashing her fake smile again. "No, he's not her father."_

 **A/N: thank you emiiiiii, qwq, Gruvfail, and visky for the reviews. Honestly, I almost abandoned this fic for I don't think anyone is interested anymore. Yesterday I just read emiiiiiii's review and I am so happy that some are still reading this. Hence, I decided to update this chapter. I don't think this is anyone's favorite chapter and I'm pretty sure I will lose many readers after this chapter, but uh what more can I do. It's not even a popular fic to begin with lmao. Thank you for the reviews. You're lovely.**


	12. Chapter 12

_His was perplexed by her answer. His breathing was shallow as he carefully asked her. "Then who's the father—"_

" _Lyon, Mika-san is here!" Ur shouted as she and her guest walked into the kitchen to find them there, having a serious conversation that's obviously interrupted._

 _The minute Lyon heard her name, he could feel the vein tightening in his head, but he didn't have time to think as he saw Gray's mother standing there before them._

 _All his emotions were fried and he nearly panicked. Mika obviously knew Juvia, and what would happen next? His mind rushed through all the possibilities. It couldn't just end like this. He was falling for her and he just couldn't lose her like this. He went through motions, with his heart racing a hundred miles an hour._

 _He tried to think. To analyze._

 _And he realized something was — not right._

 _There was something fundamentally different about Juvia when she saw Mika._

 _It was her eyes._

 _He saw resentment and a trace of hear in her eyes. She clenched her fists to stop them shaking._

 _He then looked at Mika. For the most part she remained calm, stiff, but collected._

 _Her lips were parted in a half-smile, and she extended her hand to Juvia. "Hi Lyon, and you're—"_

 _It took her a while to eventually shake Mika's hand. "Juvia, nice to meet you," she replied, trying to keep any tension from her voice._

"' _Mika-san, what brought you here?" Lyon asked._

 _Before Mika could answer her, Ur replied, "She has business meeting in this town, so she'll be here a while. Oh anyway Mika, I have a granddaughter now."_

 _Mika's eyes widened with surprise. "Wow, Ultear has just had a baby?"_

 _Ur laughed an affectionate laugh. "I wish, but she's so invested in her career. It's Lyon's, and Juvia is her mother."_

" _Lyon, aren't you still too young for having a baby?" Mika asked gently._

 _Lyon gently held onto Juvia's trembling hand, and answered in a comforting tone. "Well, I was reckless, but I'm grateful it turns to be the most wonderful gift I've ever had."_

 _Raising her eyes, Juvia looked at him, and the gentle yielding. The way he touched her helped easing the nerves and tension that had built inside her body._

" _Juvia, you are lucky to have him. Can I see your baby?"_

" _She's sleeping, and I would appreciate if you do not see my baby," Juvia answered sternly._

 _Lyon noticed Mika's face changed and her nostril quivered. Did he just see disgust in her eyes?_

" _Mika, nothing personal, my granddaughter is just very cranky when she sees a face that she's not familiar with."_

 _She then turned to Ur and faked a smile, "that's alright. I understand. Anyway, I need to go now, Ur."_

" _Alright, l will walk you out."_

 _As Ur and Mika left the kitchen to the front door, Juvia fell on her knees, weeping bitterly, and utterly unable to speak. Lyon got down onto his knees and gently asked, "Juvia, you know her right?"_

 _Her tears were still rolling down her cheek. She was quitter, but still seemed inconsolable._

" _Juvia has to go."_

" _What?" He couldn't believe his ears until she got off the floor and headed to her room._

 _She frantically took her clothes hanging in the closet out on hangers._

" _Juvia!" he yelled and when he grabbed her left wrist, he saw the cuts on it. They were perfectly straight lines. She immediately hid her wrists. To hide her marks, she always wore a long sleeve shirt. How could he have noticed it all these time?_

 _He was horrified by what he saw. She quickly averted her eyes from him, but he couldn't stop from starring at her._

" _Juvia, what actually happened?"_

 _Her voice was shaky and tears still flowed down her cheek. "Juvia— Juvia was raped."_

 _He grabbed Juvia by her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "Who— who raped you?" he demanded._

 _Her cries became louder, and like puzzle solved itself, Lyon became appalled and sickened, appalled that he never saw that man as a rapist._

 _##_

" _Ur, I think we should cut all ties," Mika said firmly._

 _Ur raised her brow, couldn't believe what she just heard. "What? What did we ever do wrong to you?"_

" _Your son is terrible. I don't want him to bring bad influence to Gray. I want to send him to the best university."_

 _Ur grabbed Mika roughly by her wrist. There was anger in Ur's tone that sent chill down her spine._

" _My son is a responsible man. He might be reckless, but he is gladly taking responsibility. He thinks of Gray as his own brother. How dare you try to separate them?"_

 _Mika pulled her hands away. "I can because I'm Gray's mother. If you or any of your family dares to contact us, I will call the police."_

 _With that being said, Mika walked away, furious._

 _Ur didn't respond. She just watched Mika walk away. She then whispered to herself, "Lyon, what the hell are you hiding from me?"_

 **Updated a/n: I was planning to unravel the whole mystery in the next chapter, but I am considering to rewrite the whole fic maybe because I desperately want to make it ends with gruvia(?)**

 **I am a big fan of gruvia. Honestly last chapter of the Fairy Tail really makes me want to write gruvia. With this plot, I've planned several different scenario of the endings, but hard to end this fic with gruvia, tbh (I can, but uh doesn't seem right!)**

 **I'm sorry for keep changing my mind. I've always written spontaneously, that's my main weakness actually (hence, I've never had a clear plot with a definite ending!)**

 **So please keep in mind that this fic will be removed once I've made up my mind. But anyway, thank you so much for karishma, guest 1, guest 2, and guest 3 for the reviews so far! :)**


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